Calvin Ayre, the founder of Bodog.com, has been named in an indictment recently unsealed by US federal authorities in the State of Maryland. Fellow Canadians David Ferguson, James Philip and Derrick Maloney were also named in the indictment which accuses them of conspiring to commit money laundering and running an illegal sports gambling service.

In a statement issued earlier today, US Attorney Rod Rosenstein stated that sportsbooks are illegal in Maryland and that, according to federal law, bookmakers may not flout the law “simply because they are located outside the country.”

According to the indictment, the four men violated Maryland law on a regular basis between 2005 and 2012 though the movement of funds to and from players, the use of advertisers and media resellers to promote internet gaming activities and the movement of funds outside the US in order to repay their advertisers and media resellers via accounts in Switzerland, Canada, England, Malta and elsewhere. They are accused of transferring winnings to customers in Maryland through the use of payment processors; including, Zip Payments and JBL Service to the tune of $57 million and $43 million, respectively. In addition, Bodog Entertainment SA is accused of putting up $42 million towards an advertising campaign focused on US gamblers.

The indictments were unsealed on the heels of the Bodog.com domain name having been seized by the US Department of Homeland Security yesterday. While the Bodog.com domain has not been in use for almost a year, it still can’t be pleasant for Bodog.

Bodog Entertainment SA currently operates under the Bodog.co.uk and Bodog.eu domains.

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